Hey guys!
In November last year, I went to New York for a week in celebration of my 21st birthday. As you can imagine, I had saved up a ton of money to bring back some of my favourite make-up brands and products that are either hard to find or cost a bomb online to buy. Most products are released in the US at least 3-4 months, sometimes more, before they are available on the Australian market. One of the products were the Revlon Lacquer and Matte Colorburst Balms!
After searching high and low for these (no joke), I finally found them at a CVS Pharmarcy in New York. The display had been ransacked before I got there unfortunately, but I managed to get my hands on some of the colours.
I'll start with the lacquers...
What Revlon says (from their US website):
"High Shine Lacquer. Moisture Rich Balm
A lacquer finish that’s beyond brilliant. Balm that’s beyond comforting. Our Triple Butter Complex of Shea, Coconut and Mango butters nourishes lips. In 10 collectible, craveable colors."
l-r 110 Coquette, 120 Vivacious, 125 Flirtatious
l-r 125 Flirtatious, 120 Vivacious, 110 Coquette
What I think?
The lacquer balms are overall an ok product. They aren't hugely pigmented, and swatching them requires a few swipes to build up the colour. They also leave behind a gritty glitter feeling, which isn't too attractive to me. These also do not have lasting power. I would say about an hour or two, if you are not eating or drinking anything. One thing I will say though is that my lips definitely felt more moisturised when compared to the matte balms, and they are more balm-like. That said, they definitely are not a bad lip crayon, just not something I would go out and buy immediately.
The lacquers come in 10 colours to choose from (although I was only able to get my hands on 3), so there is a huge variety to choose from. These include nudes, pinks, reds, purples and berries.
110 Coquette - This is the least pigmented of the lot. I had to swipe this at least 3-4 times to build up that colour on my lips. Its a pretty neutral pink. This is the only one that does not leave behind a stain when rubbed off.
120 Vivacious - This is a deeper, more natural pink than Coquette. Again, requires a couple of swipes to get it to the colour on my lips. Does leave behind a little stain, and lots of that blasted glitter.
125 Flirtatious - Probably my favourite of the lacquers, this is a wine or berry type colour, while still being a little pink. It is the most pigmented, and this only required two swipes to get to the colour on my lips. It leaves behind a nice stain, so even when it does wear off you are left with colour similar to what was there before.
And now the matte balms..
What Revlon says (from their US website):
"Velvety Matte Look. Moisture Rich Balm
A Matte finish that’s beyond plush. Balm that’s beyond comforting. Our Triple Butter Complex of Shea, Coconut and Mango butters nourishes lips. In 10 collectible, craveable colors."
l-r 210 Unapologetic, 220 Showy, 235 Mischievous, 245 Audacious
l-r 210 Unapologetic, 220 Showy, 235 Mischievous, 245 Audacious
What I think?
These are amongst my new favourite lip products! These are so pigmented (swatches on my hands required one swipe) and they are so creamy and just glide onto your lips. The only issue I have is that the lighter colour applied quite patchy and emphasised dry patches. I get a decent wear out of them, maybe 3-4 hours, but these all leave behind a stain which is great. Overall, I was seriously impressed with these, and wished that there were more at the display so that I could have the whole collection.
As with the lacquers, these come in 10 shades, ranging from nudes to pinks to reds to purples to oranges aaah. These are seriously worth the money when they arrive in Australia.
210 Unapologetic - This is my favourite of the matte balms that I own. Its a very bright pinky-red type colour that is very summer appropriate. I would say its really similar to MAC's lipstick in Impassioned. This applies really creamy and is opaque in one swipe. It also doesn't emphasise any dry patches on my lips, which gives it a big thumbs up for me. Very in love with this colour.
220 Showy - This is another favourite (I'm a sucker for all things pink) from the collection. It is a very wearable muted candy pink, and I've heard its similar to MAC's Candy Yum Yum, but I don't own that one so I cannot compare it unfortunately. Like Unapologetic, this glides on and is so opaque and creamy in one swipe. I do like to do a second coat with this one though, but I think that's just personal preference. This one does not emphasise dry patches either.
235 Mischievous - This colour is a very light pastel orange. While I love the unusual colour, especially as I own nothing like it, or anything similar, I don't really love this crayon like the above two. For some reason, this applies really patchy, and I swear makes it look like my lips are starved of any moisture (which they really aren't, swear!). Even when I apply a balm beforehand, I still have the same issue. It also, like the lacquers, requires 3-4 swipes to have it look even and opaque.
245 Audacious - This colours is an orangey-red type of colour, sort of like Unapologetic, but with orange instead of pink. Its not my favourite, but not my least favourite either. It sort of applies a little patchy, although nowhere near as bad as Mischievous, and also emphasises dry patches a little. I'm not a huge fan of this colour on me personally anyway. I really feel like my teeth look very orange, but that might be just me.
Overall, both the lacquer and matte balms are worth a try. I'm a sucker for anything in crayon format, especially for my lips, and they are super handy for keeping in your make-up bag on the go. These are a must for any make-up collected/hoarder!
I also have some exciting news! If you haven't been into your local Priceline, Chemist Warehouse or Big W, these displays have officially started going up this week! Although the products themselves have not arrived yet, I asked someone at Priceline as to when they might be here, and was told sometime this month! Hooray!
I don't know about you guys, but I'm definitely going in to pick up the rest of the mattes. The hoarder in me needs them stat.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the review :)
*all products shown in this post were purchased by me, and all opinions and photos are my own*
